The first case of a coronavirus in Tonga has prompted authorities to lock down the main island in the South Pacific archipelago, the Associated Press reported. Last week, a passenger arriving from New Zealand tested positive for a coronavirus. This is the first registered infection in Tonga.
The lockdown will take effect at midnight on Tuesday only on the island of Tongatapu, where the majority of the country’s population lives. Schools, bars and restaurants on the island will be closed and curfew will be imposed. People will be able to leave their homes only to buy groceries or medicines, in need of medical care or to gain access to banking services. The news of the first case of coronavirus in Tonga has prompted hundreds of people to be vaccinated across the country in front of the centers queues formed for vaccination. About 31 percent of Tonga’s population of about 106,000 has been fully vaccinated and 48 percent have received at least one dose, according to the Auver World in Data research group. had remained unaffected by the virus. In the nearby island nation of Fiji, with a population of about 900,000, there were no major outbreaks of the disease until April. However, when the new Delta version spread to the archipelago, more than 50,000 people became infected, at least 673 of whom died.
